Liverpool to sign Dominic Solanke

Liverpool are to sign Dominic Solanke from Chelsea having beaten several Premier League and European clubs to a deal for the promising young striker.

The 19-year-old has agreed terms with the Anfield club after refusing to sign a contract extension at Stamford Bridge amid concern over a lack of first-team opportunities.

Solanke’s current deal expires this summer but, as he is under 24, Liverpool will have to pay Chelsea a compensation fee to be decided by a tribunal. The fee is expected to be in the region of £2m-£3m.

Solanke has an impressive goalscoring record for Chelsea’s youth teams and represented England up to U21 level. He is currently part of Paul Simpson’s squad for the U20s World Cup in South Korea and spent the 2015-16 season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, where he scored seven goals in 25 appearances.

The striker’s stand-off with Chelsea over a new contract had alerted an array of clubs to his availability and several Premier League teams competed with Liverpool for his signature.

Solanke, who will earn under £20,000-a-week at Anfield, also had offers from Red Bull Leipzig in Germany and Celtic, who saw him as a potential replacement for Moussa Dembélé.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp intends to deploy Solanke in the club’s U23s team initially and he looks to develop a group of young talent – featuring the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson – to challenge the first team and feature in cup competitions next season.